ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES — Over the past year there has been an influx of films featuring minority actors and themes. Black Panther continues to rake in money, and Pixar’s Coco (2017) won Best Animated Feature at the 2018 Oscars. This month, we have Crazy Rich Asians, based on Kevin Kwan’s…
TOM PLATE WRITES – Thanks to an inspiring visit by the National Committee on North Korea, a handful of staffers – not to mention their prof – may have learned more about the intricacies of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea and its regional relationships in two hours than in…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – October in a U.S. election year often unveils some scandal. This year is no different, except the scandals have gotten weirder and this time Qatar is in on the mischief. According to emails leaked by Wikileaks, in 2012 Qatari representatives sought a 5-minute meeting with Bill…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – Six years have passed since FIFA awarded Qatar the right to host the 2022 World Cup, and there are now six years left until the first kickoff. The first half dozen years saw allegations of corruption, bribery, and human rights abuses flowing in a seemingly endless…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES- Qatar has been fairly confident about keeping the 2022 World Cup. The country has passed some labor reforms and FIFA still backs them, but the country’s officials might have to be more cautious. Harvard professor John Ruggie wrote a FIFA-commissioned report on the organization’s human rights responsibilities…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES- Immune to accusations of bribery, human rights abuses, and having really hot weather, Qatar intends to host the 2022 World Cup as planned, come what may. Such immunity can make anyone cocky, and at a New York Times art conference in Doha, the Emir’s sister Sheikha Al…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES- A corruption scandal is still brewing in international soccer, but it’s business as usual for Qatar, and the country’s top priority is making sure their chance to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup goes off without a hitch. Even if it means bumping into a few hitches…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – Usually it’s censors who block a controversial film from domestic distribution. Not so in Quatar, at least in the case of The Danish Girl. Following online outrage at the transgender tale, the country’s Ministry of Culture tweeted out this month: “We would like to inform you…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – Social media sites give users a platform to voice their opinions. They provide a means to communicate with others and express whatever they wish. Some people post disrespectful material, and that’s when censorship and social media ethics enter into the equation. This is a problem Qatar is mulling…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – The Al Jazeera journalists who were jailed in Egypt are now free and out of the country. Australian Peter Greste was deported in February 2015 and in September his colleagues Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy were finally pardoned by the Egyptian government and released from prison.…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), the governing body for international soccer, continues to face hard times; Qatar is still dealing with controversy over the World Cup, and it continues to do what it can to defend its bid. The problem is that Qatar cannot control…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – Qatar reinforced their cybercrime law when the government approved an amendment that criminalizes photographing those who are injured or killed in accidents and posting them on social media. The amendment was added to the 2004 penal law code, and according to the state-run organization Qatar News agency, it…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – One could say that Al Qaeda is the grumpy old man to the Islamic State’s (ISIS) younger, vibrant, and more energetic twenty-something year old. Their success in recruiting is due to members being greatly familiar with modern technology and excelling at the use of social media.…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES- Qatar is going on the offensive in the media game. The country wants the world to know that it is keeping the World Cup and is looking to start a rebranding effort. A Washington Post blog item published in May reported that 1,200 migrant workers had died…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES- World soccer is wrapped up in a whirlwind of scandal. Not only have American authorities indicted FIFA executives, they are now working with the Swiss to investigate soccer’s governing body for corruption and bribery. Once again under scrutiny are Russia’s (2018) and Qatar’s (2022) upcoming World Cup matches. Qatar…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES- Good PR is hard to obtain for Qatar, and last week it became even more difficult when Qatari security officers arrested a BBC crew reporting on migrant workers. The Prime Minister’s office had invited several media outlets, including the BBC, on an official tour of the new…
